What is Pointing Grim Reaper Statue?

Pointing Grim Reaper Statue is an image macro built on a photo of a hooded death statue with its finger extended toward the lower-left corner of the picture, used to call out whatever sits at that spot.

Where did Pointing Grim Reaper Statue come from?

Redditor scythE-shanty posted the earliest known version to r/dankmemes on May 11, 2019, with the statue pointing at a Mematic app watermark.

What does Pointing Grim Reaper Statue mean?

The pointing hand works as an accusatory or judgmental gesture, marking whatever element sits in the corner as the target of the joke.

How do you use Pointing Grim Reaper Statue?

You align a caption, watermark, or UI element with the corner the reaper points at, most commonly Reddit's mobile vote counter or another app's watermark, so the sculpture appears to indict that specific detail.

Is Pointing Grim Reaper Statue still popular?

After going viral across r/dankmemes and r/memes in May 2019, the format settled into occasional reuse as a stock layout macro rather than active daily rotation.

Pointing Grim Reaper Statue

2019image macroclassic

Published September 22, 2026

Pointing Grim Reaper Statue is an image macro built around a photograph of a hooded death statue with its skeletal finger extended toward the lower-left corner of the frame. Redditors weaponized that outstretched hand in May 2019 to point at watermarks and Reddit's mobile vote counter, turning a stock spooky sculpture into a self-aware layout gag that spread across r/dankmemes and r/memes inside 24 hours.

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Overview

The image macro works by placing text or visual elements in the exact spot the statue points to, so the joke lands on whatever sits in that lower-left corner1. Common targets include a Mematic app watermark on the source image, the Reddit mobile app's vote counter (which sits directly under the picture only on mobile), and captions naming a group the poster wants to drag2. The setup makes the sculpture look like it is calling out one specific detail, and the darker or pettier the target, the sharper the payoff.

Because the base picture is a physical statue rather than a cartoon drawing, edits stay legible even when the finger is aimed at tiny UI elements3. The grim posture also gave the macro a specific tone: mocking, resigned, or ominous, rather than cheerful. It is one of a small group of Reddit-native formats that leans on the mobile app layout, since the vote counter position only works as a joke inside the mobile UI1.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Reddit (r/dankmemes)

Creator

scythE-shanty

Date

2019

On May 11, 2019, Reddit user scythE-shanty posted the earliest known version of the macro to r/dankmemes, using the pointing hand to indict a Mematic app watermark stamped in the corner of the picture1. The post pulled more than 31,000 upvotes inside 24 hours. It is unclear whether scythE-shanty first edited the layout or picked it up from elsewhere, so they are credited as the earliest known poster rather than the confirmed original artist.

How It Spread

Later on May 11, r/dankmemes user PJChloupek reposted the format aimed at Reddit's mobile vote counter, which sits directly beneath the image only on the mobile app1. That version reached roughly 74,000 upvotes in a day, more than doubling the reach of the Mematic watermark original. The mobile-specific gag was itself part of the joke, since desktop viewers saw the statue apparently pointing at empty white space.

By May 12, the template jumped subreddits and started showing up on r/memes2. Two entries there, from Redditors Strunkl_Toast and borna3808, picked up around 29,000 and 57,000 upvotes respectively. From that point the macro settled into general use as a stock layout gag, still leaning heavily on the pointing-at-something-just-off-frame reveal3.

Timeline

2019-05-11

Redditor scythE-shanty posts the earliest known Pointing Grim Reaper Statue macro to r/dankmemes, with the statue pointing at a Mematic watermark. The post gets 31,000+ upvotes in a day.

2019-05-11

Redditor PJChloupek posts a version aimed at Reddit's mobile vote counter, hitting roughly 74,000 upvotes in 24 hours.

2019-05-12

The format jumps to r/memes, with Strunkl_Toast and borna3808 posting entries that pull 29,000 and 57,000 upvotes.

How to Use This Meme

To use the format, you place a caption, watermark, or on-screen element in the lower-left area the reaper points at, so the statue looks like it is calling that specific thing out1. Common conventions include aiming at Reddit's mobile vote counter (which only sits under the image on the mobile app), at a rival app's watermark, or at a caption naming a group of people the poster wants to mock2.